A Brunswick woman on her third trip offshore in her new boat caught a new Georgia women’s record for vermilion snapper on April 7. The 5-pound, 5.56-pound beeliner smashed the previous record of 3 pounds, 14.4 ounces, which was set in 2018.
Stacey T. Pope caught her big vermilion about 70 miles off Sapelo Island, Ga. Near Artificial Reef DW. She was bottom fishing with a 7-foot Eureka Charter Special rod and Avet SX G2 reel terminating with a knocker rig baited with menhaden. She was accompanied by licensed charter guide Capt. Quentin Van Heerden, of Eureka Charters.
According to Pope, she was surprised to catch such a large fish and was thrilled when she learned that she had set a new state record.
“It was amazing to catch the fish,” said Pope. “It was a little scary, but it was exciting. We just bought a boat in December, and this was only our third time offshore fishing. It’s a lot of fun, I love it.”
Pope’s fish was just a few ounces off being a state record for men or women. The heaviest vermilion snapper caught off the Georgia coast weighed 5 pounds, 11.68 ounces. It was caught last year by Mark Brandon Neville. The IGFA all-tackle world record for vermilion snapper was caught by John Doss out of Mobile, Alabama in 1987. It weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces.
For more Georgia records, go to https://coastalgadnr.org/saltwaterrecords.